Coin-controlled apparatus.



A. HEIMANN & L. FLATOW.

00m CONTROLLED APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 1907.

91 8,548. Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESS ES:

KS1 BY m ATT RNEYS A. HEIMANN & L. FLATOW.

COIN CONTROLLED APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 1907.

0M2 RNEYS INVENTORS wdc/fio'm WITNESSES:

.K 3. mm%

A. HEIMANN & L. PLATOW.

00m CONTROLLED APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 1907.

Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

' 4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

"f6 #6 E A 67 WITNESSES: Z INVENTORS A. HEIMANN & L. FLATOW.

COIN CONTROLLED APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 21, 1907.

Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

4 BHEBTB-SHEET 4.

4% vgmom Mmonwivs UNJTD Siirillhiti OFFICE.

ALBERT HICIMANN AND LliO FLATOW, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNORS, BY MESNE ASSIGN MENTS, TO DOUBLE VALUE VENDING UOVYANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

COIN-CONTROLLED APPARATUS.

Patented April 20, 1909.

To all whomit may concern:

Be it known that we, ALBERT l'lnrrms v, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city, county, and Sta; of

i New York, and LEO FLA'row, a subject or we Emperor of Germany, and a resident of i r city, county, and State of New York, llzt 'w invented certain new and useful Improve rnents in (loin-Controlled Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference be ing had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

Our invention relates to coin controlled apparatus, and particularly to coin controlled 5 vending and weighing apparatus.

Our invention consists broadly in the employment of a single operating member with coin controlled coupling means by which said operating member may be employed for the purpose of simultaneously operating vending apparatus and a weight displaying device.

The device comprises a combined weighing and vending apparatus, but the weighing means is employed for the purpose of weigh ing only, and is not used for operating any other mechanism whatever. it is important that the Weighing means shall be free from connection with other meclu'misrn, for, if not the weighing is liable to be inaccurate owing 0 to the different resistances which may inter- 5 the coin-contro led coupling means coupling both the said devices with the operating member at once. Norn'ially the (.iperalirxg member may be moved freely without it effecting any operation whatever so far as 40 has yet been described, because it is only when the coin-controlled mechanism couples it with the vi riding and weight displaying devices that it affects either of them, but, :5 a further portion of our invention, we employ 4.5 the said operating n'ienrber for the purpose of operating advertising apparatus, so that every time the said operating member is moved, movement is transmitted to the said advertising apparatus. This movement of the advertising apparatus is effected by the operating member whether the same be coupled wlth the vending apparatus and the weighing apparatus, or not. In other words,

the advertlsmg devices re preferably in eonstant operative connection with the said operating member, while the other apparatus is only connected therewith by the coin-controlled coupling means.

The operation of the machine will then be follows: The operating member, which may conveniently be in the form of a handle or lever, may be moved at any time, producing thereby corresponding movements of the advertising matter. By inserting a coin and then moving the said handle or lever, articles will be discharged from the machine at the same time as the advertising matter is moved. l urther, if at the time the operating lnindle is mani ulated, the operator is standing upon the p atform of the weighing scales and a coin of the pro er denomination inserted in the machine, t e weight of the 0perator will be displayed, an article will be discharged from the machine, and the advertising devices will be operated, all at the same time.

'lhv preferred form of our apparatus includes a plurality of vending devices, a pinrality of individual ('()l11-C()Dl7l'()ll0(l mechanism therefor, a common operating member for operating any of the said vending de vices, and coupling means for bringing about the opersti jm of the weight displaying means when any one of the vending (Ir-vices is operated.

Our invention also consists in many novel details of construction and combinations of parts as will more fully appear hereinafter.

in order that our invention may be full understood, we will now noceed to describe an en'ibodirnent thereof, fiaving reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating the same, and v. ill their point out the novel features in claims.

Fig. 2 is a view in vending apparatus. ,Fig. 7 is a view in central vertical section of the parts shown in Fig. 6, the plane of section being taken substantially upon the line 7--7 in such figure.

In the drawings: Figure l is a view in front anis'rn, particularly including portions of the Fig. 8 is a top view of the parts shown in'Fig. 6. Fig. 9 is a detail view upon a still lar er scale of certain portions of the coin-control ed mechanism, including. the locking device which is brought into operation when the magazine is empty. Fig. 10 is a detail view showing gearing employed between the operating member and the advertising apparatus.

The machine as a whole comprises a casing 1 1 mounted upon a standard 12, said standard provided with a foot 13. A scales platform 14 is arranged above a portion of the foot 13, said scales platform provided with a rod or connection 15, by which the same isconnected with resistance springs or other weighing mechanism as may be desired, said rod or connection serving also to operate a rack 16- which is arranged in mesh with a pinion 17. The pinion 17 is connected to a disk .18 which serves as an index dial, the said disk having figures thereon in consecutive order to indicate different weights which the platform may carry. The figure corresponding to the weight carried by the platform is exposed through a Window or opening 19 in the casing 11 when a shutter 20, with which the said window or opening is provided, is withdrawn. The casing 11 contains a pluralityof chutes or magazines 21 for containing articles or packages to be vended. Each chute or magazine is rovided with a coin-controlled mechanism t rough the medium of which articles may be delivered therefrom. As the several mechanisms for all the magazines or chutes are precisely similar, a description of one of them will serve as a description of all.

Each chute or magazine 21 is provided at its lower end with an ejector 22, which is arran ed to be reciprocated across the bottom of t c said chute or magazine to eject the articles therefrom one at a; time. As each article is ejected the remaihing articles descend by gravity for the neXt succeeding article to be ejected in its turn. The ejected article drops inside the case and may be reached from the outside through the. mouth or outlet 23. The ejector is actuated by means of a lever 24 fulcru'med or pivoted at 25. This lever is provided at its upper end with a coin-actuated engaging piece or gravity lock 26 (sec particularly l igs. 7, 8 and 9),

the same being pivotally secured at 28 upon the said lever and arranged opposite the dis charge mouth of a ,/coin chute 27 which is mounted in the casing 11, being so located as to receive a coin as it is disc] ged from the said chute. lhe said engaging piece 26 normally rests in the position in which it is s hown in Fig; 9 in the drawings, but when it receives acoin it is overbalanced thereby, being then caused to turn upon its pivotal Support 28 to the position in which it is shown in Fig. 7.,of.the drawings. \Vhen in the latter position the said engaging device is brought to a point directly in front of an to eject an article from the magazine in which it is mounted. When the said engaging piece or gravity lock is in its normal position, that is to say the osition in which it is shown in Fig. 9, it wil be out of the path of movement of the actuator, and move ments of the said actuator will not affect same or cause any movement to be imparted to the corresponding lever and slide. The return movement of the lever 24, and hence of the slide or ejector 22, is effected by means of a spring 30.

For the p'irpose of returning the gravity lock to its normal position after it has been overbalanced by a coin, we have provided a hook or catch 31 pivoted to a fixed pointin the machine and arranged, upon the forward movement of the lever 24, to engage a notch or shoulder 32 with which the gravity lock 26 is provided. The said hook or catch 31 is caused to engage the/shoulder 32 when the lever is moved forward, whereby, upon moving the lever backward, the same will rock. the gravity look upon its pivotal support to return it to its normal position, as will be well understood. The part 26 is so arranged as to rest by gravity in either position to which it is moved, that is to say, its center of gravity is moved from one side of the axis of its pivotal support to the other when it is shifted from rest to operated position. After a coin has 0 )erated to throw the gravity lock over, it will drop down and pass through a chute 33 into a coin receiving lox or drawer 34 of any suitabletype, and which may be normally locked in position in the machine, but arranged to be removed when desired in any well known manner.

In order to prevent the mechanism from being operated when a magazine becomes empty, we have provided a locking means 35 rotatively mounted in the machine, a pawliificarried by the lever 24, and a locking slide 37. The locking slide 37 is mounted adjacent to the foot of the chute or magazine 21, and base part adapted to be received by a slot or recess 38 in the ratchet wheel 35. The ratchet wheel may conveniently have a number of teeth equal to the number of articles or packages in the adjacent magazine, and may be thus made to act as a counter. A step by step movement is imparted thereto as the lever 24 is operated, until, finally, as the last article is 'discl1arged from the magazine, the slot or recess 38 will be brought opposite to the portion of the slide 37 arranged to engage therewith, and the said slide will move by gravity to such engagemont. This will-lock the ratchet wheel, which, by engagement with the pan/1'36, will iwvent ifurther operations of= the lever 24. 0. In loy a shutter 39 in connection with tithe slid d which is allowed to drop when -the alide movesxinto engagement with the ratchet wheel to thereby close the coin slot. .a-As previously explained, there are a plurality of chutes or magazines and coin-conlortrolied mechanisms similar to that just described-and for each said magazine and connected-parts isran actuator similar to the actuator 29gust described. x These actuators :a-rearrange 4 upon a common shaft 40, said ishaft; provided with a gear segment 41, the teeth of which are arranged in mesh with the -teeth of a raclo bar42. The rack bar 42 is also provided with teeth arranged in mesh with agear segment 43 secured fast to a hanf .dleior lever 44 arrangedv upon the outside of --the machine and which serves asan operating member for the machine. The movement of the said operating member is limited ---by-means of a guide piece 45. The opera- *tion:lof-the said handle or lever- 44 will, thrQugh-the-medium of the gear segments 41 :and- 43, the rack bar .42 and the actuator shaft 40, operate.all the actuators, but unless theiengagingpiece or ravitv lock of any one 3040f? the levers 24 for the diflerent magazines has been acted u on by a coin there will be no operat-ion'of t 1e vending mechanism. If any engaging piece or gravity lock has been so ioperated, an article will be discharged 'from the corresponding magazine upon such ioperation of the handle or lever, the coinoperated mechanism thus acting as coupling :means forconnecting the vending device with thezoperatin g member. illhe'couplingmeans, by which the o )eratninglever is connected with the means for indicating the weight carried by the scales platform at the time the said member is operated, consists of a plurality of arms 46 carried b 'a common shaft 47, said arms arrange contiguous to cam pieces 48 with which the said levers 24 are provided. The shaft 47 is also provided with a lever arm 4!) (see Figs. 4 and 5), which is connected by 50 means of a connecting wire or rod 50 with an armor lever 51 which carries the shutter 20. The said arm or lever is )ivoted at 52 to the -casing '-1-1-, and is normal ly held by a spring 53 in a position to close the window 19. -When the-lever 24 moves forward it rocks the shaft 47 by means of the cam 48 carried by it, and the corresponding arm 46 upon the shaft thereby pulls upon the wire or rod 50 to swing the arm 27 downward against the 60. tension of the spr ng 29, and thereby to rexnovethc shutter 20 from in front of the rwindow 19. The movement of the shutter will disp ay the proper indicating figure carried bydhe dial-through the opening or win- {365 (low 19, whereby the weight of the person standing upon the latt'orm may be readily ascertained. The shaft 47 has a shouldered portion 54 arranged to be engaged by a hook or} catch 55. the said hook or catch serving to hold the shaft 47 in its rocked position and to prevent the immediate return of the shutter 20. The movement of the parts to their normal positions, and hence the return of the 1 shutter to a position across the window 1!), is cheated by means of a pawl 56 which is carried by the aforesaid rod or connection. 15, said pawl passing beneath a projecting toe of the hook or catch 55 as the rod or connection 15 descends when a person steps upon the scales platform 14. The said pawl 56 en-' gages thetoe or projection of, the hook or catch 55 as the rod or connection 15 mover- I 11 Ward again when the person leaves the I?) pihtiorni, thereby releasing the said hook or catch from engagement with the shouldered s portion of the shaft 47, permitting the parts to return to normal under the influence of v the spring 29.

From the foregoing it will be understoinl how the operation of any one of the coin-controlled mechanisms of the vending devices will also act as coupling means to connect the weight displaying device with the operating lever, so that every time a coin is received in the machine the weight of a person; 9-3 standing upon the platform will be displayed and an article discharged from the magazine corresponding with the coin chute in which the coin is received. It will also be understood, however, that the vending will he el- 1 0 lectuated whether the operator stands upon the weighing scales platform or not, because the operation of the vending apparatus in no way depends upon the operation of the weighing up )aratus.

"lhe rack bar 42, which, it will be rezncntbered, is in constant operative connection with the handle or lever 44, is provided with gear teeth which engage a gear segment 57. The gen r segment 57 carries a pawl through 0 which step by step lrovemerls of rotation may be transmitted to a ratchet wheel 58 (sec particularly Fig. 10), said ratchet wheel being keyed or "fixed to a gear-wheel 59 having gear connection (31) with a roller 6]. 5 The roller 6] may carry advcitiseinei'its or other matter, and is connrmted by miter gearing with a horizontal roller 62, in tun connected by suitablegearing with another roller 63. As these rollers are rotated suitable matter or advertisements thereon are brought into view. The rollers may be made to rotate at diii'erent rates of rotation or not, in accordance with the gear. con nection between them. The casing will, of course, have suitable side openings or windows for ex )osing the advertisements, and, if desired, the interior of the magazines or other parts, and the said casing may be suitably provided with mirrors and-otheranism actuated by the lock when in reach of or moved by the actuator, said lock being made to remain at rest at either side of its pivot.

2. A coin controlled apparatus comprising a chute, a gravity lock made to ti t to opposite sides of its vertical position and p aced at the chute, an actuator into reach of which the lock is moved, and a rack and handle for mov-ing'the actuator.

3. A coin controlled apparatus comprising a chute, an actuator, a lock piece adapted to remain in engaging and disengaging position and thrown into 'engaging position for the actuator by a coin from the chute, a gear and rack for the actuator and a segment and handle for moving the rack.

4. A coin controlled ap aratus comprising an ejector, a lever for tie ejector, a lock piece on thelever, and an actuator, said lock piece being adapted to be moved to engaging position by a coin inserted into the apparatus and then to remain in engaging position.

5. A coin' controlled apparatus comprising an ejector, an actuatin ejector,,a lock piece pivote on the upper end portion of the lever to fall to and re main at either side thereof,- and a handle or the like to engage the lock when in engaging position at one side of the lever.-

6. A coin controlled apparatus having an ejector and lever therefor, a pivoted lock piece adapted to tilt to and remain at either side of its pivot, a coin chute made to direct a coin for tilting the lock in one direction, and returning means mounted independently same in another d1- rcction.

g 7. A coin controlled apparatus comprising an ejector, an actuator for the ejector, a coin actuated or tilted lock for engaging the actu ator to connect the same with the ejector, and a catch for returning or moving the lock to inactive position on its return.

8. A coin controlled apparatus comprising an ejector, an actuator for the ejector, a coin actuated lock comprising arms, one of which is adapted to be moved into reach of the ac.- tuator for connecting the same to the ejector, and a catch for engaging aimther-arm'of the lock to move the same to inactive position.

lever for the terior of the machine, a lever and actuator for the ejector, a coin actuated tilting lock to connect the lever and actuator, and a hook for tilting the lock out of action.

10. A coin controlled apparatus comprising a chute or magazine, an ejector, an actuator for the ejector, a coin actuated tilting lock moving with the ejector and engaged by the actuator, and a gravity hook or catch having a fixed pivot and made to engage the lock to tilt the same out of action.

11. A coin controlled apparatus comprising an ejector, a lever therefor, a coin actuated lock or engaging piece and actuator for 't-helever, an incline on the lever, a second lever actuated by said incline, and a shutter connected to, and actuated by, said second lever. I

12. A coincontrolled ap aratus comprising an ejector, a lever there or, an incline on the lever, a second lever actuated by the incline on the first named lever, a shutter, and a connection from the second lever to the shutter, said shutter being normally closed and being opened by said connection 'whenever the second lever is actuated.

13. A coin controlled apparatus comprising an actuator and lever, an engaging piece for connecting said parts, a second leveractuated by the first named lever and havinga notched shaft or fulcrum portion, and a catch or hook for engaging said notch.

14. A coin controlled apparatus comprising a lever and actuator with engaging piece for said parts, a shutter carrying lever, a closing spring for the lover, a shutter opening lever connected to the shutter carrying lever, and an engaging piece on the iirst named lever to actuate the shutter opening lever.

15. A coin controlled device comprising alever and actuator connections therefor, a shutter and shutter actuating lever actuated by the first named lever, a catch for the shutter actuating lever and a release For the catch.

16. A coin controlled apparatus comprising a lever and coin actuated moving connection therefor, a shutter, a shutter actuating lover, a gravity or overwcighted hook or catch made to engage the shutter actuating lever, and a release for the catch.

17. A coin controlled apparatus comprising a chute with an ejector, a lever for the ejector, a coin tilted engaging )lBC-G pivoted at the upper end portion of the lever so as to swing to and remain at either side thereof, an actuator for the lever, and a rack and handle iorthe actuator.

18. A coin controlled apparatus comprising coin and merchandise enutes, a lever r with a tilting engaging piece placed in the path of a coin from its chute and adapted to remain tilted in or out of engaging position, an actuator for engaging said piece when tilted into en aging osition, a second chute with receptac e to ta e the coin when leaving the engaging piece, and an ejector moved by the actuator when ALBERT HEIMANN. LEO FLATOW.

Witnesses:

D. HOWARD HAYWOOD, LYMAN S. ANDREWS, Jr. 

